Golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf putter has a head and a shaft affixed to the head, the head having a front face for striking a ball and a rear face and is constructed and designed to assist the golfer in aligning the putter for propelling the ball to be putted in the desired direction. The head comprises a central section with a front face, the central section extending from proximate the head&#39;s front face towards the head&#39;s rear face and tapering rearward outwardly in width in plan, and a pair of side sections flanking sides of the central section, the side sections each having a front face adjacent the front face of the central section and being of a tapering configuration along the sides of the central section. The central sections and the side sections are oppositely transparent or opaque, allowing them to be visually distinguished from each other and providing visual cues for aligning the putter.

The present application claims the benefit of provisional applicationSer. No. 61/370,216 filed Aug. 3, 2010, and relates to a golf clubconstruction and in particular to a new and improved construction for aputter and putter head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Putting is the ultimate step in achieving the goals of a round ofgolf—directing the golf ball to fall into the cup hole. Putting requiresextreme accuracy, as the target cup is 4.25 inches in diameter, and atypical golf ball is on the order of 1.68 inches in diameter. Theaverage golfer often finds it difficult to position the putter properlyto send the ball on a desired path to the cup. Many aids have beendeveloped to assist the golfer in aligning the putter and assisting thegolfer in directing the ball in the intended direction.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,251 discloses a novelty putter having a funnel-likeattachment through which the ball is stroked, the funnel tending toredirect a mis-stroked ball back along a desired path.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,669 discloses a putter head has counterweightsembedded in a transparent body. The counterweights are spaced to definea space between them that is intended to serve as an alignment guide,allowing the golfer to observe a target below the club and control theswing with respect to the target.

U.S. Published Pat. Appln. 2009/0118035 discloses a putter withalignment means mounted to the rear of the putter head. An alignmentelement can be adjusted to provide a target line to the cup, allowingthe golfer to more easily swing the putter along that line to direct theball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a putter head construction for assisting thegolfer in aligning a putt without resort to attachments or devices thatsubstantially alter the performance or operation of the putter, whileproviding the putter head with a heft and contact feel that issubstantially the same as that of a conventional putter. The head hascentral and flanking sections of visually contrasting portions,preferably of opaque and transparent constructions, which together forman arrow wedge configuration as seen from the perspective of the golferusing the putter. The central section tapers forward to the front faceof the head and the intended central striking portion of the strikingface of the putter, the tapered configuration providing alignmentassistance for a putt. The central section is flanked by a the pair ofvisually contrasting portions, each of which has a front face portionthat forms an lateral outer portion of the striking face of the club.The flanking portions further delineate the alignment function of thecentral section, while providing additional striking portions for theball in the event the golfer fails to properly align the putt and strikethe ball squarely with the central section as intended.

The construction provides a putter with the feel and heft of a moretraditional putter, while providing substantial assistance to the golferin aligning a putt. The construction assists the golfer in initiallyaligning the putter (static alignment) as well as assisting the golferin maintaining the desired orientation through the swing (dynamicalignment).

Further, the construction removes distractions associated withconventional putter designs by providing a single, central element orzone in the golfer's focus for the ball striking location. The back tofront taper of the central portion provides an arrow-like aiming device,assisting the golfer to align the putter to have the ball travel alongthe desired path. The clear outer portions allow the green to be seenthrough them, minimizing the visual effect of the outer head portionsand forcing the golfer to more completely focus on the central portionof the head, its tapering construction further channeling the golfer'sfocus to improve the accuracy of the putter's alignment along thedesired path of the ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A fuller understanding of the present invention will be obtained uponconsideration of the following detailed description of a preferred butnonetheless illustrative embodiment thereof, reviewed in associationwith the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a putter head of the present inventionshown in conjunction with a golf ball aligned for putting thereby;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the putter head;

FIG. 3A is a top plan view of the putter head with the ball aligned forstriking;

FIG. 3B is a side elevation view of the putter as positioned in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a front elevation view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG.4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As depicted in the figures, and initially with reference to FIG. 1,putter head 10 has central section 12, which in a preferred embodimentis opaque, to which upwardly-extending putter shaft 14 is affixed in aconventional manner. Alternatively, however, a hosel or socket may beincorporated into the head to provide a means for connecting the shaftto the head. A hosel can facilitate the positioning of the shaft at achosen orientation with respect to the head. The upper end of the shaft(not shown) includes a conventional grip portion for the golfer's hands.The central section 12 may be formed entirely of metal, or may be acomposite material chosen with density and rigidity considerationsappropriate for use in a golf club head. When a composite material isused for the central section 12 the front face 16 of the central sectionis preferably the front of a metallic spacer or insert 28, as shown inphantom in FIG. 1. The spacer or insert may be of any desiredfront-to-back thickness, but preferably is greater than 1/16 inch, andpreferably forms no more than 25 percent of the volume of the centralsection. The forward face 16 of the central section defines the centralportion of the putter's front face 24, lies directly forward of theshaft 14, and defines the intended contact portion between the putterand golf ball 18.

Flanking central section 12 are transparent side portions 20, which areadvantageously fabricated of an appropriate tough material, such asglass or a polymer such as an acrylic or polycarbonate. The forwardfaces 22 of the side portions define corresponding lateral portions ofthe putter front face, flanking the central section's forward face 16,and provide additional ball contact areas for the putter front face. Thebottom faces 38 of the side portions may be at an acute angle A to thehorizontal, on the order of about 15 degrees, as may be seen in FIG. 3C,to provide a measure of additional clearance between the faces and theground. As an alternative to the spacer 28 lying only at the front ofthe central section, it may extend completely across the putter's frontface, as further indicated in FIG. 1, whereby the spacer's front faceforms the entirety of the putter's front face. In such a configurationthe spacer may advantageously be mounted to the head after the centralsection and side portions are joined together.

While is a preferred embodiment the central section 12 is opaque and theside portions 20 are transparent, the putter head may have a reversedconstruction, wherein the central section 12 is transparent and the sideportions opaque. In such an embodiment use of the metallic front faceinsert or spacer 28 for at least the central section is preferred toprovide an appropriate contact surface for the ball.

As seen in FIG. 2, the head may also be provided with one or more areas30 to accommodate weights to vary both the overall mass of the head aswell as its balance. The areas may be located as may be appropriate withconsideration of the materials used for the head and overall headgeometry, and may be of any form known in the art to allow varying massto be added. The areas may be, for example, in the form cavities intowhich weights are snap-fit, or threaded bores into whichcomplementary-threaded inserts of varying mass may be inserted.Particularly when the head has a construction in which the centralsection is transparent, the inclusion of mass-adjustments means can bebeneficial to place a greater proportion of the head's overall weight inthe central section.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3A, the putter head 10 is preferablyrectangular in plan, with a width of the front face 24 of the headpreferably on the order of the width of a regulation green cup—about4.25 inches. The ratio of the width of the entire front face 24 to thewidth of the front face 16 of the central section 12 should be at least2:1, with the face 16 centrally located. When an insert 28 is employedfor the central section, however, the insert's width can exceed thatpreferred limitation, extending partially into the adjacent sideportions 20. The minimum width of the front face of the central sectionis preferably 1/16 inch to provide a sufficient ball-striking area, witha maximum width preferably corresponding to the minimum diameter of aregulation golf ball—between 1.62 and 1.68 inches.

The central section tapers evenly outwardly from the head's front face24 to its rear face 26. The minimum taper is such that the width of thecentral section at the rear face 26 is at least twice the width of thecentral section's front face 16. The maximum width of the centralsection at the head's rear face is the full width of the head.

With further reference to FIGS. 2 and 3A-C, central section 12 may beformed in plan view as a trapezoid, with its front face 16 constitutingthe smaller base of the trapezoid and its rear, larger base forming atleast the central portion of the rear face 26 of the head. The plan viewshape focuses the golfer's view towards the ball, and assists the golferin aligning the putter head to putt the ball along the desired line oftravel. The side portions 20 may likewise be formed in plan essentiallyas right angle triangles or trapezoids, depending on the percentage ofthe head's rear face 26 occupied by the central section 12, with theside portions' smaller bases 32 (if present) flanking the rear base ofthe central section and forming the rear corner portions of the putterand their larger bases comprising forward faces 22. The transparency ofthe side portions further emphasizes the guide nature of the centralsection. While the side portions are preferably trapezoidal ortriangular, they may have other shapes in plan, so long as they serve tomaintain emphasis of the tapered central portion and provide the lateralcoplanar forward faces 22. Overall, the putter head is preferablyrectangular in plan, greater in front-to-back depth than in width, witha flat upper surface, although a blade-like construction, in which thewidth is greater than the depth, is also within the invention'scontemplation. With the central section transparent and the sideportions opaque the guide nature of the construction is preserved, buttinting of the central section may be desired to assist the golfer inproperly directing his focus to the center section and the desiredtravel path for the ball.

The bottom surface of the putter head may be contoured, as best seen inFIGS. 2, 3B and 3C. Central section 12 has a horizontally extendingbottom face portion 34 extending approximately one-half thefront-to-back depth of the head, and is flanked by generallyquadrilateral faces 36 extending the depth of the head. As may be seenwith reference to FIG. 3C, the faces 36, along with the bottom faces 38of the side portions 20, are upward sloping towards the sides of thehead at the angle A. The central section 12 has an additionaltrapezoidal face portion 44 abutting the rear of the bottom face portion34 and lies between the rear portions of the angled faces 36. It mayhave a slight rearward-directed upward angle on the order of 2-3 degreeswith respect to the horizontal (see FIG. 3B).

As stated above, the transparent side portions 20 have bottom faces 38that are at the angle A to the horizontal and are coplanar with theadjacent central portion faces 36. The lower front edge of the centralsection 12 and the adjacent portions of the side portions 20 may bebeveled at 42.

FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment in which central section 12A is transparentand the side portions are opaque and are merged together into a unitarycomponent 20A. The forward edge of component 20A extends entirely acrossthe width of the head, and thus central section 12A in top plan is inthe shape of a triangle, with its tip or vertex 46 located rearwardly ofthe merged side portions. At the tip or vertex 46 the thickness ofopaque component 20A may be from 0.015 to 0.500 inches. The tip orvertex 46 itself may have a radius of curvature of 0.015 to 0.500 inchesto accommodate the milling or tooling used to form the mating opaquecomponent. Spacer 28 is affixed to the forward face of component 20A andforms the entirety of the putter's front face.

The rearward extent of the opaque component 20A is such that it definesthe rear corners of the head, with the back face portion widths 44 ofthe opaque component preferably being in the range of 0.015 to 0.500inches.

With such a construction the shaft, mounted to portion 14A, ispreferably mounted by means of a hosel 48, such that the main axis ofthe shaft, as seen in FIG. 5, extends to intersect the front-to-backcenterline of the head at the bottom of the head. Other hoselorientations can allow, for example, for the main shaft axis tointersect the centerline at the vertical midpoint of the head.

When an insert or spacer 28 or 28A is employed, it can provide means foradjusting the weight or balance of the putter. As depicted in FIG. 4,the rear face of the insert may be milled or otherwise formed to providea recess 50 that can either be left hollow or filled with a material ofa density different from that of the insert body to change the overallmass distribution of the head and thus its feel and balance. Suitablefills may include polymers and polymer blends, as well as metalliccompositions. The recess is preferably no more than half the head'swidth and no more than three-quarters of its height. It typically willbe centered laterally, but need not be centered vertically in theinsert.

The spacer's recess may further include portions that extend entirelythrough the spacer, forming a pattern of openings through the spacer'sfront face, such as a series of horizontal slots or circular bores. Thefill of the recess in such openings thus forms portions of the frontface and may allow for varying the nature of the contact between thefront face and the ball when struck. The front surface of the fill maylie in the same plane as the remainder of the front face, or its surfacemay be textured or contoured to form projections, recesses or dimples asmay be desired.

The head may be dimensioned as required to comply with organization orlocal rules respecting the size of club heads. A typical set ofdimensions for the head may be, for example, a depth of 3⅞ inch indepth, a width of 3½ inch in width, and a height of ¾ inch, with thefront face 16 of the central section being 1 inch wide. The centralsection and side portions may be bonded together by means as known inthe art, such as by epoxy adhesive or mechanical fasteners. While theside portions are preferably transparent, they may be tinted. Further,while the head in plan is preferably rectangular, it may take othershapes, such as trapezoidal, with either a larger or smaller baseforming the front striking surface of the putter, once again so long asemphasis of the tapered central portion is maintained and lateralcoplanar forward faces are provided.

1. A golf putter, comprising a head and a shaft affixed to the head, thehead having a front face for striking a ball and a rear face, the headcomprising a central section with a front face, the central sectionextending from proximate the head's front face towards the head's rearface and tapering rearward outwardly in width in plan, and a pair ofside sections flanking sides of the central section, the side sectionseach having a front face adjacent the front face of the central section,the side sections being of a tapering configuration along the sides ofthe central section, the central section being opaque or transparent,and when opaque the side sections are transparent and when transparentthe side sections are opaque.
 2. The putter of claim 1 wherein the frontfaces of the central section and the side sections together form thefront face of the head.
 3. The putter of claim 1 wherein the centralsection is opaque.
 4. The putter of claim 1, wherein the shaft isaffixed to the central section.
 5. The putter of claim 2, wherein thewidth of the front face of the central section is between 1/16 inch andapproximately 1.6 inches.
 6. The putter of claim 2 wherein the centralsection extends from the front face of the head to the rear face of thehead, the central section rear face being at least twice the width ofthe central section front face.
 7. The putter of claim 5, wherein thecentral section is chosen from metal, polymers, glass and composites. 8.The putter of claim 5, wherein the central section is a polymer, glassor composite, the central section further including a metallic insert ata forward end forming the front face of the central section, the inserthaving a thickness of at least 1/16 inch.
 9. The putter of claim 8wherein the metal insert comprises no more than 25 percent of a totalmass of the central section.
 10. The putter of claim 3 wherein the sidesections are chosen from the group consisting of glass and polymers. 11.The putter of claim 1 wherein a bottom face of each side section tapersupward towards a corresponding side of the head.
 12. The putter of claim1 wherein the central section has a bottom surface with a forwardportion extending horizontally and side portions tapering upward towardsan adjacent side of the head.
 13. The putter of claim 1 furthercomprising a metallic layer extending across the front faces of thecentral section and the side sections, a front face of the layer formingthe front face of the head.
 14. The putter of claim 13 wherein themetallic layer has a thickness of at least 1/16 inch.
 15. A golf putter,comprising a head and a shaft affixed to the head, the head having meansfor facilitating aiming and directing a golf ball in a desired directionwhen struck by a front face of the head, said means comprising atapering in plan central section bounded by a pair of side sections,front faces of the central and side sections together forming the putterfront face, the central section being opaque or transparent, and whenopaque the side sections are transparent and when transparent the sidesections being opaque. 13-15. (canceled)
 16. The putter of claim 15,wherein the front faces of the side sections extend completely across awidth of the head, the central section being transparent with a forwardend thereof being positioned rearwardly of the side section front faces.17. The putter of claim 16, further comprising a metallic layerextending across the front faces of the side sections, a front face ofthe layer forming the front face of the head.
 18. The putter of claim 17wherein the shaft is mounted to one of the side sections.
 19. The putterof claim 18 wherein a main axis of the shaft intersects with a lateralcenterline of the head at a bottom surface of the head.
 20. The putterof claim 17, wherein the metallic layer includes a portion of a densitydifferent from the density of a remainder of the insert.
 21. The putterof claim 20 wherein the portion forms a part of the front face of thelayer.